SAN FRANCISCO -- Mike Cofer, given a reprieve by a penalty, kicked a
45-yard field goal with 4 minutes 12 seconds remaining Monday night to put
the San Francisco 49ers ahead to stay in a 34-24 victory over the New York
Giants.

Cofer had missed badly from 50 yards, but got a second chance because
New York's Ryna Thompson had lined up offside in the National Football League
game.

Joe Montana threw three touchdown passes, Pierce Holt had four of the
49ers' seven sacks and the San Francisco defense forced five tunrovers as
the 49ers took the inside track to the home advantage in the NFC playoffs
by winning the matchup of teams with 9-2 records.

Montana's scoring passes were in the first half as the defending Super
Bowl champions moved to a 24-7 lead. But Phil Simms brought the Giants back,
engineering two second-half touchdowns drived and eventually tying the score
at 24.

After Cofer's field goal, however, Simms was intercepted for the third
time in the game, by Eric Wright, an East St. Louis Assumption product.
Wright's 18th career interception set up Tom Rathman's 1-yard insurance
TD with 1:08 remaining.

Tempers flared between the bitter rivals as Montana's precision passing
led the 49ers to a 24-10 first-half lead. Montana connected on 17 of his
first 18 passes for 195 yards.

The Giants held the 49ers to 31 yards rushing in the first half, but
couldn't stop San Francisco's air attack, which saw Jerry Rice, Brent Jones
and John Taylor each catch touchdown passes.

No fights broke out, but several times players shoved each other angrily
after plays ended as tension between the teams was heightened by injuries
and the high stakes involved in the outcome.

Montana hit his first six passes, including a 37-yarder to Rice and a
4-yarder to Taylor in the corner of the end zone. The Giants came right
back, driving 82 yards in 15 plays as they tied the score 7-7 on Ottis Anderson's
2-yard run.